Afternoon Drive withStephen Grootes

Pupils at Hoërskool Pretoria Wes are protesting in order to be allowed to wear skinny pants as their current trousers are “too big”.

This has education department and school governing body officials concerned, with Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi saying this sets a "disturbing precedent".

School governing body chairperson Bryan Zuyster says a letter was circulated last week calling on pupils to boycott classes because their “rights were being violated.”

It’s quite a tricky situation we find ourselves in. We got notice that the kids were going to protest because they needed to look fashionable and we have a problem with that as the governing body.

— Bryan Zuyster, SGB chair

We can only make a decision if the parents all agree to the code of conduct as far as clothing is concerned.

— Bryan Zuyster, SGB chair

It’s more of a social problem. A lot of parents don’t even know what kind of clothing their kids get to school with.

— Bryan Zuyster, SGB chair

We have a situation where there is a lot of single parent homes. Then we have a situation where most parents work out in Johannesburg and they leave home at 5 or 5:30 in the morning and school starts at 8 o’clock. They don’t even know what time kids leave school. Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do about that.